Winter Storm and Flooding in Delaware, January 25 to 26, 2000

The most intense winter storm since the Blizzard of 1996 buried Delaware on the 25th with 6 to 12 inches of snow, sleet and freezing rain, wind gusts as strong as 60 mph along the shore, minor to moderate coastal flooding and drifts as high as four feet. Schools and government offices were closed on the 25th. Police advised people to stay home. Many schools were still closed on the 26th. Many malls were either closed or closed early on the 25th. For the second time in a week Governor Tom Carper was forced to postpone his State of the State Address. About 75 accidents were reported; most were vehicles sliding off the roads. Several heart attacks from shoveling snow also occurred and there were dozens of "slip and fall" accidents as well as sledding accidents. About 61,000 homes and businesses lost power, hardest hit was Sussex County. The high winds forced the suspension of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. The worst driving conditions were in the western part of Kent County with drifts as high as 4 feet.The snow began with a vengeance between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. EST across the state. Snowfall rates of around 2 inches per hour were common during the first couple of hours during this storm. By 6 a.m. EST, some locations already had 4 inches of new snow on the ground. After 5 a.m. EST, as warmer air came in above the ground and the precipitation intensity slackened, the snow began mixing with and changing over to sleet and freezing rain. Delaware spent most of the daylight hours in the storm's "dry slot" - an area of lighter precipitation. Even so, Georgetown had about 7 inches of snow on the ground by 9 a.m. EST. As colder air moved back into the state after 3 p.m. EST, the wintry mix started to change to sleet and then snow by the early evening of the 25th. The change to snow coincided with another heavier band of precipitation that affected Delaware during the evening of the 25th. The snow ended around Midnight EST on the 26th. The heavy snow that fell during the predawn hours helped cut down on the number of accidents. About 75 accidents were reported. The worst (serious injuries) included a tractor trailer accident on Interstate 495 in New Castle County and a sport utility vehicle that rolled over three times in Kent County. Many of the secondary and back roads remained unplowed. The worst driving conditions were reported in western Kent County, where 30 to 40 mph wind gusts produced drifts to four feet. The heavy snow forced the curtailment of bus and train service in New Castle County. Fifteen people were stranded in Wilmington when their bus could not continue its route. About 61,000 homes and businesses lost power throughout the state. Most were in Sussex County as high winds and ice either brought down lines or made them "gallop" (wires touched each other and shorted themselves). Most of Lewes lost power for four hours during the evening of the 25th. About 3,500 homes and businesses lost power in Seaford and Bridgeville. Other outages affected Delmar, Fenwick Island, Gumboro, Laurel, Lincoln, Milford, Millsboro and Selbeyville. The high winds also took down dune fencing. The strong onshore winds also produced minor to moderate tidal flooding at the times of the midday high tide on the 25th. Ice in Delaware Bay protected most locations from tidal flooding. This storm also produced considerable beach erosion and left the coast unprepared for a second northeaster. Along the bay, Broradkill Beach experienced tidal flooding and the flooding spread along the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. Along Indian River Bay, minor flooding occurred in Pots Nets Cove and Oak Orchard. Along the oceanside, the tide cut through the dunes in Gordons Pond and Whiskey Beach north of Rehoboth Beach. In Rehoboth itself, the ocean reached the dune line and came within 10 feet of the boardwalk. In Dewey Beach, flooding reached McKinley Street and overflowed the eight center blocks. Traditionally this is the first place to flood within Dewey Beach. About 10 percent of the dunes were lost. The ocean also washed over some of the dunes in South Bethany. Tidal flooding was reported along long stretches of Delaware State Route 1 and also parts of Delaware State Route 54. Both roads, despite having water on them, remained open. The high tide at Lewes was 7.7 feet above mean lower low water at 1154 a.m. EST on the 25th. Moderate tidal flooding usually starts at 7.7 feet above mean lower low water. Total Accumulations included: in New Castle County 10 inches at the New Castle County Airport; in Kent County 11 inches in Woodside and Dover, 9 inches in Milford and 8 inches in Viola; in Sussex County 8.5 inches in Georgetown, 8 inches in Seaford, 6.5 inches in Lewes, 6 inches in Laurel and 5 inches in Rehoboth Beach. The low pressure system responsible for the winter storm began as a weak low pressure system on a stationary front in southern Texas on the 23rd. By the morning of the 24th, it was located in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico near Apalachicola, Florida. Initial projections were for this storm system to stay far enough offshore for the heaviest precipitation to fall over the ocean and a more significant storm was expected on Wednesday the 26th. But, by Monday evening the 24th, it became apparent that the storm would not safely go out to sea. In fact, it was intensifying and hugging the South Atlantic Coast. By 7 a.m. EST on the 25th, it was about a 980 millibar low just northeast of Cape Hatteras. The storm's greatest intensification was over, but it moved northeast near the Atlantic Seaboard, instead of eastnortheast as was originally expected. At 7 p.m. EST, the storm was about a 975 millibar low located about 80 miles east of Long Beach Island, New Jersey. It proceeded to move northeast and weaken and at 7 a.m. EST on the 26th, it was a 988 millibar low just east of Portland Maine. This storm system pushed the cold front well offshore. The third low that did develop on Wednesday the 26th was too far offshore to affect the region other than reinforcing the preexisting cold northwest flow.